Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz
2 Professor, Department of Soil Science Engineering, Shahid Chamran Faculty of Agriculture, Ahvaz
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Agriculture, Ahvaz
4 Assistant Professor, Ahvaz Sugarcane Development Project
Abstract
Introduction
Plant nutrition, as a very effective factor in plant yield, is a function of the interaction effects of nutrients. Fertilization management based on soil test results has not led to optimal crop yield in many cases in plant cultivation because it does not show the synergistic and antagonistic effects of nutrients in the soil and their absorption by the plant. By using leaf analysis, examining the status of its nutrients and interpreting the results correctly and accurately, very good information about the nutritional status of the plant is obtained. Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System Method: A bivariate method is proposed as a diagnostic tool to express the concept of nutritional balance and to minimize limitations in interpreting the nutritional status of plants. Sugarcane, scientifically known as Saccharum officinarum, is a perennial plant from the cereal family and is an important agricultural crop that is cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Recently, many studies have been conducted in the country on the management of nutrients in various agricultural and horticultural plants using the DRIS method. However, no research has been conducted in the country so far on the status of nutritional balance of sugarcane using this method. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the status of nutritional balance and determine the priority of nutrient needs in Ratoon sugarcane farms in the Shuaibieh region of northern Khuzestan province, in order to identify and eliminate critical levels or critical ranges of nutrients that limit sugarcane yield. Therefore, this study can help in identifying nutritional disorders, prioritizing nutrient needs, determining their optimal range in the plant, and improving fertilization management.
Materials and Methods
This research was conducted in the north of Khuzestan province, in the Shoaibieh region, in the sugarcane farms of Imam Khomeini Agricultural and Industrial Company located at 31°39' to 31°55' North and 48°39' to 48°48' East. In order to investigate the nutritional balance of sugarcane using the Integrated Diagnosis and Recommendation System (DRIS) method, a database was prepared using sampling and chemical analysis of sugarcane leaves and farm performance. In this research, 25 Ratoon (regrowth) sugarcane farms of the CP69-1062 variety with an area of 550 hectares were selected and leaf-soil tissue sampling was carried out. Thus, a composite sample of plant leaves including 10 fully visible and developed leaf samples (third leaf from the top) from each of the ten designated locations in each field and soil samples from a depth of 0-30 cm, totaling 750 samples, was collected. Including three replicate composite samples of 10 samples for each field.
Results and Discussion
Farm classification based on Sharma method, considering the yield of 112 tons. ha-1 as the median yield, out of 25 studied ratoon sugarcane farms, 5 farms were in the high-yield group and 20 farms were in the low-yield group. The average sugarcane yield in the high-yield group and in the low-yield group was 117.05 and 94.18 tons. ha-1, respectively. According to the results of DRIS nutritional indices, it was determined that in the low-yield sugarcane farms studied, potassium was the most negative among the high-yield elements and zinc was the most negative among the low-yield elements. The relative distribution of sugarcane nutritional status based on nutrient indices showed that 65 percent of the farms in the low-yield group had |IK |>NBIa and IK <0. This indicates a severe deficiency of ratoon sugarcane farms. Prioritization of nutritional needs in the studied farms was determined into two high-yield and low-yield categories as follows: K>Ca>P>N>Mg and Zn>Mn>Fe>Cu.
Conclusion
Using the DRIS method, it was found that the nitrogen index in 30% of the studied farms was positive and higher than the average value of the nutrient balance index |I_N |>NBI_a and I_N>0, which indicates the high consumption of fertilizers containing this element and should be considered. The DRIS index for the nutrient element potassium was the most negative index among the most consumed elements, which indicates the low absorbable form in the soil and the lack of application of potassium fertilizer at the time of first cultivation, and the sugarcane plant's need for this element should be met from potash fertilizer sources in subsequent years (Ratoon).
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